Painting with brushes

[Allan G]

I'm about 10,000 miles away from creating models of the quality shown on this forum. But, I love building models! I live in a small apartment and can't adequately vent the fumes if I used an airbrush (and my wife would kill me). Are there any books or references available that offer guidance on painting models using brushes? Allan

[mabloodhound]

Allan,
I don't know about any books but I'll bet there are many You Tube videos on the subject.
And one of the best references is the work of Troels Kirk.  His layout is a great example of what can be done with a brush.
http://www.railroad-line.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=23577
There are 6 volumes of his work on the RR Line forum which you can read about many of his techniques and he does offer a video for sale on how to use his methods.

[Allan G]

Thank you for the quick response and great info bloodhound. I'll check them out. Allan

[Chuck Doan]

I would think maybe a collapsible (foldable) spray booth with a vent out a window might work. If you use acrylics, there are no major fumes at all (if any).

[Allan G]

Chuck; thanx for the reply. The windows I do have lead directly to a neighbor. If I use acrylics do I need to vent? Allan

[Ray Dunakin]

Chuck; thanx for the reply. The windows I do have lead directly to a neighbor. If I use acrylics do I need to vent?

The only consideration when it comes to acrylics is the dust, so a dust mask should be sufficient. For the small amount of spray needed to paint a model, I don't think a vent would be necessary.

[lab-dad]

I was going to suggest the porch or patio and acrylics also.
One of those science fair cardboard thingines would block the wind if it was an issue too. Just secure it if there is a lot of wind.

Brushes will never give the results you are looking for with large areas to cover.

-Marty

[Allan G]

Thanx to all! Allan

[5thwheel]

I laid out nearly $300 for a nice stainless steel paint booth.  It was cumbersome and took up valuable work bench space.  I finally stripped the fan off and donated the shell to Good Will.  I now use a cardboard box. I spray the inside with several coats of rattle can paint to make it easier to wipe down with a damp rag with out destroying the cardboard. I Use the guts from a furnace filter at the back of the box just to catch the over spray. I don't really have a problem of paint fumes or smell but I do wear a mask and I work near an open window.

[darrylhuffman]

I have two airbrushes that I have not used for model building for decades.

My family has life threatening allergies so using an airbrush is out of the question.

Having lived in Alaska for 45 years I could not do it outside either.

I do use a spray can every once in a while to give a locomotive a coat of grey  primer and sometimes use Dullcoat to seal a finished model.

Other than that I always use paints in bottles and a brush.

For backdrops I always use acrylic paints.

But for everything else I use the small bottles of Testor's Flat paints which I can find almost anywhere.

You can see my results at:

www.GhostTownModels.com

[finescalerr]

Did you paint the Shay and Goose base coats with brushes? If so, did everything smooth out as with a spray? (Nice website.) -- Russ

[darrylhuffman]

Russ,

The base color of the shay and of the goose were done with spray cans.

All the weathering was done with powders and brushes using Testors Flat enamels in those little tiny bottles.

A light misting of the finished goose was done with Testors spray can Dullcote.

This was to flatten the shine on my homemade decals.

When I use the spray cans I usually go out into the garage and open the door and spray.

On nice days I do it in the back yard.

My airbrushes and compressors remain idle.

[marc_reusser]

If you are working in 1/48 or larger, large surfaces/areas will be difficult to paint so that they look correct and in scale without a spray can or airbrush. That said, there are paints that work better than others for brush painting....such as Vallejo...which are intended to be used for brush painting these are widely used by figure painters and for details, parts, highlights, and selected areas, on scale models. A lot will come down to experience/skill, type/quality of paint, brushes, and application/mix. You might be able to pull off lager smooth areas by using  very thinned paint in multiple layers...and by breaking up the surface it any components/sections, such as panels, divisions etc. You could also employ lighting tricks such as Color Modulation or Zenithal lighting to break the surfaces into a more varied spectrum and shading of tones and colors (this will help in the layering approach). It will be difficult to match the quality and finish of an airbrush....but with practice and ingenuity comes perfection.

Another trick you can use when brush painting such things as wooden boxcar for instance, is to mask and paint each board individually. ..yes time consuming...but by just ever so slightly tinting/mixing - in some light or dark shade into the paint at each board, you will be able to also create a subtle weathering an digging effect (and on a boxcar you don't have to the boards one by one from one end to the other.....depending on the width of your tape, you can probably mask and paint several boards around the car per color mix)

I still recommend an airbrush....I generally spray on my back steps...but every now and then when I really need to get something painted I will do it in the room...without a vent fan or booth (I made myself a 3 sided and acrylic topped over-spray blocker for these times...and wear a mask/respirator)....you will not regret using one.....but as you can se from the above ...brush painting is not impossible. 

Note that lerning how to do good (not heavy or overdone...but quality and finessed) weathering will also help with the finished appearance and disguising of a brush paint job.

[marc_reusser]

...one more thing....if you can even  manage to spray only the base color...all the rest of the discoloring, shading and variation, can be done with brush applied oil and acrylic paints and washes.

[Hydrostat]

...one more thing....if you can even  manage to spray only the base color...all the rest of the discoloring, shading and variation, can be done with brush applied oil and acrylic paints and washes.

I second what Marc said in this and the previous post, especially about the technique with thinned color and multiple layers. Look at those photorealistic artists, who achieve a superrealistic impression using brushes. Okay, they do only have to play on two dimensions. For sure you'll need some exercise but you may achieve some reasonable results with brushes. There's maybe one more aspect to be considered: It's a question of prototype choice, too. Achieving the look of a fresh varnished high gloss car might get a bit difficult with a brush.

Volker